Chapitre 185: Chapter 184: Counterattack
"Young Midoriya, it seems you've learned a lot from Mr. Gran Torino," All Might said, giving a big thumbs-up.
"Yes, sir!"
Midoriya brushed the dust off his uniform, stood up straight, and nodded earnestly. "Gran Torino has been sparring with me every single day for the past seven days..."
As he spoke, memories of the past week, both the trials and the overwhelming exhaustion flashed through his mind.
In just seven days, Gran Torino had gone through four microwave ovens, two television sets, and countless kitchen utensils. The destruction was borderline ridiculous.
Midoriya had even suggested finding a more spacious training area to reduce the collateral damage, but Gran Torino had flat-out refused, dismissing the idea as "too much trouble."
And so, Midoriya had no choice but to relent. After all, it wasn't his house being destroyed, and he didn't have to pay for all the replacements, right?
From this alone, it was pretty clear that Gran Torino wasn't lacking for money, he must have made a small fortune back in his heyday.
But why did Midoriya describe this so-called "workplace experience" as pure "hell"? Why did the word "pain" immediately come to mind? The answer was simple.
If someone spent every waking moment. aside from eating, sleeping, and taking bathroom breaks being relentlessly beaten, wouldn't they feel like they were trapped in their own personal nightmare?
And yet, Midoriya had endured an entire week of this.
The worst part? Gran Torino didn't belong to any hero agency, nor did he take on any missions like patrolling or apprehending villains. The man was essentially retired and had all the time in the world.
With so much free time, how could Midoriya not be pushed to his limits?
"Uh… I understand you perfectly," All Might said, noticing the flicker of unease in Midoriya's eyes. He immediately knew what the boy was feeling.
No one on earth could relate to Midoriya's current state of mind better than All Might himself.
Midoriya had sparred with Gran Torino for just seven days, but All Might? Back in his youth, he had trained with Gran Torino for several years as preparation to take down All For One after the villain had killed his predecessor, the previous wielder of One For All.
And that was why All Might, even now, would sometimes shudder at the mere mention of Gran Torino's name. The lingering trauma had nothing to do with his strength, it was etched into his psyche.
On the other side of the screen, Bakugo's mood grew darker. Watching Midoriya laugh and chat with All Might filled him with frustration and regret.
"While I wasted my time during workplace experience… like some complete idiot… he was…"
He clenched his fists tightly. Right now, Bakugo deeply regretted choosing to intern with Best Jeanist. At the time, he had thought working with a top-ranking Pro Hero would give him the opportunity to grow stronger.
But in reality, Best Jeanist hadn't taught him anything useful. Instead, he'd just lectured him endlessly about discipline and appearance.
To be fair, Endeavor would've been a much better fit for Bakugo both their Quirks and their combat styles aligned far more naturally.
Meanwhile, Kaminari was focused on something entirely different: Midoriya's incredible jump. He was mentally comparing it to his own Quirk's "high-voltage mode".
In terms of pure burst speed, Midoriya's leap was definitely comparable to his high-voltage output. But when it came to sustainability, it was clear that Midoriya's technique was limited to short bursts for now.
This realization eased some of Kaminari's tension.
"Phew… okay, that makes sense. There's no way he could achieve that kind of power consistently after just a few days of training, right? It took me years to master my abilities."
But even as he comforted himself, Kaminari couldn't help but feel uneasy. Midoriya's growth rate was truly terrifying. Every time they met, it seemed like he had improved dramatically in some way.
What Kaminari didn't realize was that many of his classmates felt the same way about him. His steady progress often left others marveling, but he was too close to see it himself.
The first round of the test officially concluded as Ashido Mina, the last participant, finally reached the finish line.
"Well done!" All Might congratulated the group, then turned to the remaining students.
"Second group, step onto the field!"
As the next five contestants moved into position, Momo tilted her head slightly, watching their preparations.
"Hmm… this group doesn't seem to have great mobility, does it?" she observed.
"Yeah, it doesn't look like this is going to be a particularly exciting round," someone else chimed in.
"You still need someone as dazzling as me to make these games truly shine!" Aoyama said, dramatically adjusting his red glasses and tilting his chin upward.
Unfortunately for him, the rest of the class well-acquainted with his personality completely ignored his comment.
"Especially Kirishima and Tetsutetsu," Hagakure said with a teasing grin. "Those two are definitely going to burn out fast!"
"Maybe," Kaminari replied with a quiet laugh, his eyes fixed on the screen where Tetsutetsu was waiting to begin.
"Alright! Second group, get ready!" All Might's voice rang out again, loud and commanding.
Without any hesitation, he pressed the button to start the timer.
"START!"
As soon as the signal was given, Shoji leapt from a high platform. Using the wing membranes stretched across his two extra arms, he began gliding gracefully through the air.
"Whoa!"
"That's incredible—Shoji can actually fly!"
Uraraka's cheeks flushed with excitement. She had always yearned to fly. Technically, her Quirk allowed her to, but the intense dizziness it caused usually made her feel sick.
Her helmet was specifically designed to help reduce that effect, but even so, flying wasn't her forte.
"If I could fly, this kind of test would be a breeze!" she said wistfully.
"Definitely. I'm jealous of people who can just take to the air like that," someone agreed.
Interestingly, Shoji had used this gliding ability before during the Sports Festival obstacle race, but back then, no one had noticed.
Of course, being able to fly was only part of the equation, speed mattered just as much, which explained why Shoji hadn't achieved a standout performance during that event.
"Hey, look at Mineta!"
Asui Tsuyu pointed at the screen, drawing everyone's attention.
Sure enough, Mineta was leaping nimbly from one of his sticky "grape" balls to another. He threw each new one ahead as he bounced, maintaining a surprisingly fast pace.
"Wow, that's actually really impressive!" Kaminari said, nodding in approval.
"It's not easy to accurately throw those grapes to the next landing spot while mid-jump," Momo noted thoughtfully.
"Exactly. He has to calculate both the location and distance of his next step and make sure his grapes land in the perfect spot," Kaminari added. "And then, when he jumps, he has to adjust his balance so he doesn't overshoot or slip."
"Especially in an environment as complex as this one. The fact that he's able to keep going without any hesitation is seriously impressive," Momo continued, a hint of admiration in her tone.
For the first time, the group began to see Mineta in a different light.
"Hard to believe, but Mineta-san's IQ might actually be really high," Momo concluded, her analysis surprising even herself.
***
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Chapitre 186: Chapter 185: Hopeless Grapes
Momo's words made everyone fall silent. She had a point, how could anyone admitted to Japan's top hero academy be truly useless?
Meanwhile, the second group's round continued on the big screen. Predictably, the ones who struggled the most were Kirishima and Koda.
Their performances weren't much different from someone without a Quirk. In this setting, they were practically "Quirkless."
Koda was slightly better off, if he had an animal that could run, it might've helped. But Kirishima? His Quirk, Hardening, wasn't useful here. In fact, it only made things worse, as it slowed him down.
"Looking at Kirishima's struggles, I bet Tetsutetsu is in the same boat, right?"
Sero chuckled, shifting his gaze to Tetsutetsu's feed. But to his surprise, Tetsutetsu's speed didn't seem slow at all.
"Wait… what's with his running speed?"
On the screen, Tetsutetsu was moving nimbly between industrial obstacles, leaping over pipes and structures like a trained athlete. His movements were smooth and precise, almost like he'd undergone professional training.
"It seems like Tetsutetsu picked up a few tricks from someone," Kaminari commented calmly, not looking surprised.
Tetsutetsu's agility didn't shock Kaminari in the slightest. After all, someone who had trained in techniques like shave would naturally have stronger leg muscles than most. But the way Tetsutetsu navigated the obstacles—his fluid, military-like movements made Kaminari think he'd been practicing more than just martial arts.
"Besides judo and the six styles, maybe he's been dabbling in something like military drills too," Kaminari mused quietly.
Just then, Tetsutetsu disappeared from the screen. When the camera switched angles, he reappeared on a different section of the field. This time, he was standing atop a large steel pipe, several meters ahead of his previous position.
"Whoa!!"
The students in Class 1-A erupted in shock. Even Bakugo's eyes widened as he stared at the screen.
"What… what was that?"
"Teleportation?" Tokoyami asked, his tone low and incredulous.
"Does Tetsutetsu have a second Quirk?!" Kyoka exclaimed in disbelief.
"I've never heard of that before," Momo said, equally stunned. "Could it be a recent Quirk awakening? That's incredibly rare…"
"That move…" Bakugo growled under his breath, clenching his fists. "That bastard used this same trick to dodge my Howitzer Impact! I should've known!"
The rest of the class, however, was still lost in speculation. Kaminari, for his part, had no intention of explaining. After all, the Six Styles were something he'd shared exclusively with Tetsutetsu.
To Kaminari, the Six Styles were a personal gift to his close friend, a technique Tetsutetsu had earned through their partnership.
What's that? You think he's being selfish for keeping it to himself?
Kaminari didn't care. It wasn't his job to act as a mentor for the whole class. Just because he knew something didn't mean he was obligated to teach it to everyone.
That was why, aside from Tetsutetsu, Kyoka, Momo, and a select few, Kaminari had never shared his insights with others.
Friendship and camaraderie were two very different things.
On the other side of the field, All Might was also observing Tetsutetsu's technique with great interest.
To most people, Tetsutetsu's shave looked like teleportation. But to All Might, it was no faster than slow motion. He could clearly see every detail of the boy's movements.
"You stomp the ground repeatedly in a split second, building up enough force to propel yourself forward with explosive momentum. What an ingenious technique…" All Might muttered to himself, genuinely impressed.
Though such a move was child's play for someone of All Might's caliber, he couldn't deny its potential.
"Even though Tetsutetsu uses his Quirk to handle the recoil, theoretically, anyone with sufficient physical training could perform this move."
"This… this isn't a Quirk. It's a skill—a teachable, learnable skill…"
All Might stroked his chin thoughtfully. The idea of a technique like shave becoming widespread left him conflicted.
A skill that could rival Quirks simply through rigorous physical training… if this became public knowledge, it could cause chaos.
Sure, mastering such a skill wouldn't be easy, but with enough people trying, some were bound to succeed. The potential societal impact was troubling.
"Ugh, this is giving me a headache," All Might sighed, placing his hands on his hips as he continued to watch Tetsutetsu race toward the finish line.
"Are kids today just built differently? Back in my school days, there weren't this many monsters running around."
His thoughts briefly drifted to Kaminari and Todoroki, two students whose power rivaled even second-rate Pro Heroes. Their destructive potential was on par with top-tier Heroes, and they hadn't even graduated yet.
"Well, I'll need to discuss this with Aizawa later. If necessary, we'll bring it up with the principal."
Unbeknownst to Tetsutetsu, he'd just been added to All Might's list of students to "keep an eye on." Alongside Kaminari, he was now under special observation.
If Tetsutetsu knew about this, he'd probably feel proud rather than worried.
Soon, the results of the second group were finalized.
First place: Minoru Mineta. Surprised? So was everyone else.
Second place: Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. Despite mastering shave, he couldn't use it infinitely and eventually had to rely on regular running. Still, he came close to catching Mineta, who had been bouncing non-stop on his "grapes."
Third place: Shoji Mezo. His ability to glide gave him an edge, but his speed wasn't fast enough to secure a higher ranking.
Fourth place: Eijiro Kirishima. He didn't come in last, which was a testament to his athleticism and determination.
Fifth place: Koji Koda. Despite his best efforts, he couldn't keep up without a Quirk suited for mobility.
When the rankings were announced, Mineta instantly became the center of attention. His face was lit with pride as he basked in the rare moment of recognition.
Mineta, dubbed "Grape Boy," was overjoyed by the girls in the class talking about him. For a moment, he felt like he was floating.
"Yes! Hero work really does attract girls! I'm so close to making my dream come true!" he thought ecstatically.
"Go to hell, pervert!"
Kyoka, her ears sharp as ever, scowled in disgust when she overheard Mineta's monologue.
"Ah, sweet victory…!" Mineta continued, completely oblivious to Kyoka's reaction.
Watching him lost in his fantasies, Kaminari and the others could only shake their heads in exasperation.
"Yep… hopeless," Kaminari sighed.
***
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